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Tuesday, March 18, 2014

beauty favorites {my morning routine}

Beauty has always been a bit of a daunting subject for me. Admittedly, I've never really been one of those girls who experimented with eye shadow growing up, eyebrow shaping has only really been part of my normal routine for the past recent couple of years (I know, shame on me!) and I'm pretty lost when it comes to the whole lining the inner part of my eye and thereby temporarily blinding myself for the day. BUT. This doesn't mean I don't admire those who have mastered it. And in fact, it's something I'm trying to push myself to try out more. After all, why not?

As far as most mornings go though -- my routine has to be pretty edited. Around 10-15 minutes to be exact. Since my morning commute to work can take close to 2 hours, I rely heavily on a rotation of reliable, go-to products that a.) get me out the door quickly and b.) last me throughout the day, with minimal touch ups.

It's been a while since I've shared a roundup of my favorite beauty products, so I wanted to introduce them here -- some old and some new...

For my face:

Stila beauty balm: A great base before my makeup (and I wear it alone on the weekends).

TEMPTU airbrush system (with foundation, blush and highlighter pods here): Hands down, one of the most flawless and natural looking finishes I've tried when it comes to my foundation routine. Plus, it takes all of 2-3 minutes to apply. #Hooked. (In case you didn't catch it earlier, check out my tutorial here.) If you want to try it out for yourself, TEMPTU is offering a 25% discount to my readers! Just enter the code "KRYSTAL25" at checkout.

Benefit pore-reducing cream: This one is relatively new to me -- I'm not convinced my pores look any smaller, but it's a great primer nonetheless.

Givenchy mascara: A bit pricey, but the applicator wand is pretty worth it (really thickens your eyelashes). Sometimes, I'll just use the wand after I have my Lash Domination applied.

NARS shadow pencil "Aigle Noir": I know most people say to use a dark brown eye liner for day use to "soften the look." I tend to wear black for everyday use (subtly of course), as I think it stands out better against my darker features. I love how this pencil is easy to smudge and blend with just my fingertips.

I've never heard of the Temptu system but now I am very curious! Thanks for sharing. These NARS lip pencils are so gorgeous and they have been on my beauty wishlist for quite sometime now - I should probably get my hands on them soon.